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breaking news

Bobby Beathard, shown when he was GM of the Chargers in 1990, is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (Getty Images)

Bobby Beathard, personnel director for the Dolphins from 1972-77, was selected Friday by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Contributors Committee as a finalist for the Class of 2018.

Beathard, 80, also worked for the Kansas City Chiefs (1966-67), Atlanta Falcons (1968-1971), Washington Redskins (1978-1988) and San Diego Chargers (1990-99).

Over the years, Beathard referred to his time with the Dolphins as a learning experience. There were high draft picks who flopped (Don Reese and Darryl Carlton), but Beathard also had his share of hits, including defensive standouts Larry Gordon, Kim Bokamper, A.J. Duhe and Bob Baumhower.

“Generally, you learn so much just being around Don Shula,” Beathard told The Miami Herald in 1983. “That was great experience for me.”

Beathard, once labeled the smartest man in the NFL by Sports Illustrated, said his drafting philosophy changed after taking Reese, a first-round bust in 1974.

“One thing I learned that I wish I hadn’t learned at anybody else’s expense was drafting guys like Don Reese, who you knew had very poor work habits in college, Beathard said. “There are guys on whom there is no question about their ability but a question about their willingness to pay the price. You find out through the years that those guys don’t change.”

To be elected, Beathard must receive 80 percent of the vote when selectors meet on Super Bowl weekend in February in Minneapolis. The contributors category enabled Dallas owner Jerry Jones to be enshrined this month.

Beathard was a tough-to-miss figure in football circles, a runner who competed in dozens of marathons and always seemed to look the part, eschewing coats and ties at all costs.

He once ran the New York City Marathon the morning Washington was playing the Giants. Upon finishing, he told his cab driver to take him to Giants Stadium, then sprawled out in the back seat. When Beathard finally looked up, he realized that the driver, who did not speak English, had taken him to Shea Stadium.

Beathard ended up missing half of the first quarter.

“There’s nothing I love more than football,” Beathard said upon hearing Friday’s news. “I feel like I’ve gone through life without a job and got paid for it.”